The map will be on display from November 5 to December 12, 2014 and can be seen in the following public locations:

Liquisa District Administrator office

DNTPSC Liquisa office

Bazartete sub-district administrator office

Tibar suco

Forestry Office in Tibar

Representatives from the inter-ministerial Technical Team for Tibar Bay Port PPP will be present throughout the public display period at the Forestry Office in Tibar (Ministry of Agriculture), from Monday-Friday (excluding public holidays)

Members of the community are encouraged to check the maps and ensure that their claims are correctly recorded within the 30 day display period.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications has requested the cadastral mapping of certain areas in Tibar Bay, as indicated with orange on the below map:

to identify any claims on the land that is proposed to be used for the Tibar Bay Port PPP, and

to identify any claims on the neighbouring land that may be indirectly affected by the construction and operation of the Port. It should be noted that this is the largest part of the area mapped.

This information will be used to:

negotiate land acquisition with the owners of private land needed for the Port, and

prepare adequate mitigating measures to minimize the impact of Port construction and operation on adjoining land users and the environment.

On August 1, 2014, a meeting was held in Tibar with the community to inform about the data collection for the cadastral and social mapping of the area. The meeting was chaired by Ministry of Transport and Communications, with the participation of about 65 members from the Tibar and Ulmera sucos as well as the sub-district administrator of Bazartete.

The community was cooperative and willing to meet with the members of the Technical Team conducting the data collection. This took place in August and September with teams from Secretary of State of Fisheries, Ministry of Social Solidarity, Secretary of State for Arts and Culture, and National Directorate for Land, Property and Cadastral Services under the Secretary of State for Land and Property, Secretary of State for Environment and Secretary of State of Professional Training and Employment Policy.

The results of the cadastral and social mapping will be published shortly.

The first meeting with the community of Tibar was held on June 11, with about 120 persons from Tibar attended the meeting. The meeting was opened by the District Administrator, Sr. Domingos da Conceicao dos Santos, and welcome was also given by sub-district administrator of Bazartete, Sr. Augusto Perreira de Araujo. The chefe suco of Tibar, Sr. Bento da Conceicao, and Ulmera, Sr. Laurentino Martins, also attended the meeting.

The National Director of Aportil, Sr. Lino Barreto, representing the Ministry of Transport and Communications and Co-Chair of the inter-ministerial Technical Team for Stakeholder Engagement, presented the plans for the Tibar Port to the audience, including why Tibar was selected, and what the social and environmental impacts may be.

Members of the audience had a chance to ask questions and provide comments during the following hours. The most frequently raised issues were:

– How will people be compensated if they have to move?
– How will the local people benefit from the construction of the Port?
– How will the increased traffic in the bay affect the access for fishermen, particularly to the rompongs on the outer side of the reef
– How will the Port affect the livelihood of the fishermen?
– What is the environmental impact, particularly on seaweed business and the fishing?
– How will the Port affect the salt production in the bay?
– Will the Port construction impact on the sites of cultural importance?
– What are the disadvantages of the Port?
– What are the plans of the Government for the future of the fishermen affected by the Port?
– Suggestion to make a study on how to improve the future livelihoods of the people in Tibar Bay.

Some the questions were answered by the inter-ministerial Technical Team, which was represented by MSS, Secretary of State for Environment and Secretary of State for Fisheries, and others will be responded to at the next community meeting or through leaflets. The team noted all the questions and these will be taken into consideration in the continued preparations of the Port. Members of the audience expressed their appreciation of the government having already prepared a team to deal with their concerns.

The community was informed about the Focal Point at Ministry of Transport and Communications, Lenty Liu, (phone 3313755), who will forward any questions or concerns from the public to the inter-ministerial Technical Team.

Posters were studied while waiting for the meeting to start. These will be displayed at the District Administrator office, the Sub-district Administrator office of Bazartete, and at the Suco office of Tibar and Ulmera./Populasaun balun hare posters ba projetu nian antes sorumutu komesa. Posters hirak ne’e sei tau iha edifisio Administrador distritu Liquisa no mos iha Administrador sub-distritu Bazartete, no suku rua iha Tibar no Ulmera

The Request for Proposals (RfP) for the Tibar Bay Port PPP has been announced to the four shortlisted bidders on May 14, 2014.

The RfP is a detailed instruction issued by the Government of Timor-Leste represented by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications for the bidders on how to prepare their project proposals. The bids will comprise three parts: Legal Documents, Technical Bid, and Financial Bid, according to the specifications in the RfP. In addition, the bidders have access to a virtual Data Room with relevant information.

The bidders will be invited to a pre-bid conference and site visit in week of 16 June. The bid submission deadline is 22 October, 2014. After the evaluation of the technical and financial bids, the announcement of the preferred bidder is expected on November 27, 2014.

The Government of Timor-Leste has set up a Project Evaluation Team, comprising among others representatives from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, and the National Procurement Commission, with advisory support from IFC transaction specialists, which shall be responsible for conducting the entire bidding process, and in particular for the opening and evaluation of bids. The Government of Timor-Leste is seeking to award the Tibar Bay Port PPP project through a fair and transparent competitive bidding process in accordance with Timor-Leste laws and international best practice.

District Administrator Sen. Domingos da Concecão dos Santos met with a delegation led by Director General of Ministry of Transport and Communications Sen. Joanico Gonçalves on Monday 19 May in Liquisa. The delegation included members of the Technical Team for Stakeholder Engagement, among others Ministry of Social Solidarity, Secretary of State for Land and Property, SEPFOPE, Secretary of State for Environment, Major Projects Secretariat from Ministry of Finance, and IFC.

The Director General described the planned Tibar Bay Port PPP and the need to consult and coordinate with local authorities and the community. The District Administrator appreciated the opportunity to be involved at an early stage in the process and agreed to prepare the community meeting together with the chefe suco of Tibar and Ulmera and the traditional leaders (lian nain) and other relevant representatives. Meeting with the community are planned for the beginning of June. The Technical Team will provide support as required in the preparations of the meeting.

Information materials in the form of posters and leaflets were made available to the District Administrator and will be displayed in the District Administration Office as well as the Sucu Office of Tibar and Ulmera.

The active participation of the community in Tibar in assessing the environmental and social impacts of the construction and operation of the Port is essential. To facilitate the process a leaflet with basic information about rights and obligations is now available.

One of the main concerns for the community in Tibar is obviously how the Port construction will affect the land they are using and any house or other construction they have, as well as any gardens or trees they own or use. The basic principles for the Resettlement and Compensation process is described in this leaflet, and will be followed up with meeting at the community level.

A number of information material in different formats is now made available to the public. The materials will be displayed or distributed in connection with community meetings and other stakeholder arrangement, but can also be downloaded here:

Environmental and Social Scoping Report Summary with Site Selection Annex

This Summary Report is based on the Environmental and Social Scoping Study conducted in June-July 2013. It includes information on estimated environmental and social impact of the proposed port project. A study on the site selection of the port is annexed.

In the current phase, until a concessionaire is appointed, the Government is responsible for Stakeholder Engagement for the Tibar Bay Port Project. IFC is advising the Government on implementation of the project, including the Stakeholder Engagement, and will do so in accordance with the Performance Standards of IFC. Later in the year, when the winning bidder is known, it will be responsible for developing and operating the Port in accordance with the Performance Standards, with the role of the Government being supervision and monitoring.

In the process of informing the public, and the community of Tibar in particular, a series of leaflets will be made available, covering different topics. The first two leaflets are of a general character.

Ministry of Transport and Communication has appointed a Public Relations Focal Point for inquires and complaints regarding the Tibar Bay Port: Lenty Liu, telephone number (+670) 3313755. The Focal Point will register all requests and forward to the Special Panel for Stakeholder Engagement for appropriate action.

Disclaimer:
This is not an official translation by the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
The English version of the IFC Performance Standards on Environmental and Social Sustainability (Effective January 1, 2012) and other relevant documents are available at: www.ifc.org/performancestandards
In case of discrepancies between the original English text and the translated document, the English text will prevail.